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Up Front: Price Is What You Pay, Value Is What You Get

The earthquake on January 12 in Haiti should make us all pause and be grateful for many things: The country we live in, the kindness and generosity of people to help those in true need and, believe it or not, the pesky rules and regulations we have to follow here in the United States.

The
earthquake on January 12 in Haiti should make us all pause and be grateful for
many things: The country we live in, the kindness and generosity of people to
help those in true need and, believe it or not, the pesky rules and regulations
we have to follow here in the United States. While most of us in construction
curse the government and the rules we have to follow, it is those same rules
that separate the effects of earthquakes in Haiti from those in Los
Angeles.

Reports and pictures of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook Port Au Prince
were not lost on the engineers in developed countries like England, Germany and
North America. Stories and reports of shoddy construction practices are made by
the mainstream media and I think it’s good that the spotlight shines on this
typically overlooked but important piece of the disaster puzzle.

Reports of earthquakes in these underdeveloped countries can also lead to the
exposure of government officials who were on the take. Often bribes were paid
to overlook very minimal building codes. A piece of the story that seems to go
unreported is the people offering the bribes. This too makes me grateful to
live in this country. I am not naïve enough to believe bribes never happen, but
unlike some countries, where it may be considered “just part of doing
business,” we tend to weed this out and publicize the offenders and prosecute
them.

As wall and ceiling contractors, we will always run into an inspector who is
unreasonable. I dealt with city employees that were drunk with power, filled
with notions of grandeur and stubborn to unreasonable degrees. But they
honestly believed they were for the greater good. “Public Life Safety” is their
mission and we need to respect that.

I began to see that motto from a different perspective as I taught
construction. I spent social time at building inspectors’ conferences and got
to know them and their deep feelings. I was also there when a mudslide in
western Washington
destroyed some homes that took the lives of an entire family. The mood was
somber at the conference as we watched the news media have a field day blaming
the inspectors, city planners and other government officials for incompetence.

The public and news media became a lynch mob. Putting myself in their shoes, I
understood that protecting the public was of the utmost importance and they do
this for a very modest salary. I saw their deep concern and sadness and it made
me change the way I taught classes and dealt with field inspectors. I typically
started a presentation with acknowledging that their job may be the toughest in
construction (“Protect the Public”) all the while being hated and making a
modest salary. I found my relationship with them improved and I was able to
explain the next toughest part of their job was the impossible task to be an
expert at all phases of construction. For example, I know very little about
concrete work and even less about electrical and plumbing issues. Having me
inspect those items could put the public at risk. Since it is impossible to be
an expert at all facets of construction, particularly as it gets more
complicated every year, inspectors need experts they can rely on, and count on
for honest, fair advice to ensure public safety. I vowed to always be there for
them, to be honest and help them make a good judgment and back them up when
others attacked them.
SHE WILL BE BACK

As we watch Mother Nature deal out her fury around the world, the test of how
prepared our individual societies have lived up to the social responsibilities
of public safety will be challenged. Successes will be whispered, failures will
be shouted. Unfortunately, Haiti
did not pass this test and people died-lots of people. We should think about
that as we meet with the inspector on the job site. Yes, this person may be
over-zealous and may be a thorn in your side, but consider the alternative:
your family in a building constructed to the standards and practices of Haitian
construction. Maybe with this attitude and an appreciation for what the
inspector is up against, the project might go better.

The reality is we have some great quality wall and ceiling contractors. We also
have some unscrupulous ones that will cut corners and put public safety at
risk. In these times, it is more important than ever to remember “price is what
you pay, value is what you get.” W&C

Mark Fowler joined Walls & Ceilings as editorial director in 2006. Fowler grew up in the construction business and has held a number of positions in different companies and associations. He spent 11 years with the Northwest Wall and Ceiling Bureau before moving to his position with Soltner Group Architects in Seattle. Fowler is currently the executive director of the Stucco Manufacturers Association. He can be reached at Mark@markfowler.org.

Check out the May 2020 edition of Walls & Ceilings: The devoted team of Green Country Drywall at a recent job site in Oklahoma, rainscreen drainage and ventilation mats, SBA loans via the CARES act, and much more!